Calendar Initiative
The Calendar Initiative was a project that birthed the Calendar Operatives, an ultra-elite sect of USM soldiers. History Genesis In the early 2700s, the USM was beginning to lose their grip on established colonies and territories. Some planets began to wage open rebellions, and Colonial Policemen were having a hard time keeping these so-called Secession Planets under control. After some careful consideration, it was determined the issue was that each system was far too large for battalions of soldiers to patrol and keep the peace in. There weren't enough men to go around. The progression, then, was to build the perfect soldier. After a proposal by a pharmacist known as Bernard Van Hoylen, the USM began injecting volunteer soldiers with mixes of chemicals and experimental compounds. The results ended in catastrophe, with some soldiers becoming crippled for life and others outright dying due to the toxicity of the compounds. The USM tried its hardest to keep these incidents under wraps, but word got around the cosmos and the Secession Planets began celebrating their victory over the USM. When it seemed as if the project needed to be scrapped, one key element fell into place: all of the previous volunteers had the same blood type. Hoylen theorized that the different acid and base contents of the blood types had been interfering with the chemicals. The USM began drafting 'volunteer' soldiers again, but the blood types were wildly varied. It seemed as if all hope was lost as once again each blood type rejected the serum. However, one subject stepped forward--a Colonial Policewoman. She identified herself as possessing an O+ blood type. Hoylen searched the records kept by the USM and no subject had ever had O+ listed as their blood type. The procedure was done, the chemicals injected, and the subject monitored. Over a course of months, no adverse effects were listed, and the chemicals all did their intended purpose. This Colonial Policewoman had been turned into the first Calendar Operative! Hoylen and the USM began recruiting soldiers with exemplary records and O+ blood types. 33 people were conscripted, from varying backgrounds and makeups. The original plan was for the Initiative to be called the Week Initiative, since only two or three washouts were expected, leaving one Operative for each day of the month. Procedure After the chemicals were injected, the subjects would be forced to endure intense exercise, pain, and psychological punishment. Hearkening back to the days of the Navy SEALS from Earth, the reasoning was if the Operatives were subjected to such brutal routines as this they would never need to be fearful on the battlefield. Out of the original 33 volunteers who passed the chemical injection process, 15 had to be discharged and four gave up. Two died, and were given an honorable USM burial. This left 12 out of the volunteers, and the Initiative was renamed the Calendar Initiative due to 12 months being on the calendar. The Operatives were named based on performance and strength--the strongest being Agent January and the weakest being Agent December. Even Agent December, however, was strong enough to charge an entire enemy squadron on her own without assistance. After being given names, another dose of chemicals was added. January received double the amount originally administered, while December received only a tiny bit more. After the subjects were deemed healthy, even more ''intensive training began. This sculpted the Calendar Operatives into the pinnacles of USM citizenship they are shown as today. While they were pushed to their limits physically, they were also pushed to their limits mentally. All earthly wants were wiped from their minds; Calendar Operatives would not wish to have a fancy house, or a shiny set of armor. They were instead conditioned into thinking ''How would this influence the USM? This indoctrination was very hotly contested, with some proponents saying it was necessary and built undying devotion, and the dissenters saying it violated basic human rights. While every single want was wiped from each subject's mind, their vices and bad habits were not. Agent June, for example, still drank heavily, and Agent December cursed incessantly. Field Applications After the training was finally complete, the subjects were sent out into the field for live combat training. Each Operative yielded the expected results, and the Calendar Initiative was deemed a success. The Calendar Operatives were then assigned specific sections of the cosmos to patrol and keep the peace in. That way, should any troubles arise, the one Operative would be enough to quell them. Every single major uprising on each planet was smashed, and the USM enjoyed relative peace and control of the cosmos again. After each Operative did their task, they were crygenically frozen in stasis pods to be thawed out in times of crisis again. None of them objected. Two centuries later, in 2981, the Calendar Operatives were brought out in full force. Each Operative save Agent February was defrosted--February had been taken out a while beforehand. After each Operative got reacquainted with USM civilization they were each given their own fireteam of five or six soldiers to lead. They were not, however, promoted to Lieutenant General in the USM, the highest rank, and had to report to COs in each squad. However, some complications arose... Agent February died in the line of action and had to be replaced or else February Company, his fireteam, would be dissolved. The USM was at a loss, as the original documents outlining how the Calendar Initiative was performed had been lost to time. One engineer came up with an idea, though, and a new Agent February was found. Dubbed Unit 076015-b, otherwise known as Beelze, the robot came into possession of the rather run-down February Company. Agent August had also defected to the Red Army, led by the aptly named Iron Bitch. Several USM fireteams were sent to negotiate with the Reds, but to no avail. August also began attacking USM colonies and settlements, which branded him as a threat to the safety of the USM and a high-profile target. Impact The Calendar Initiative was incredibly vital to the survival of the USM. Without it, the Secession Planets would have most likely rebelled against them and regained their own section of the cosmos. The vision of the USM would have been compromised, and more planets would begin to rebel, aided by the Secession Planets' exploits. This would lead to the inevitable collapse of the USM. Luckily, the Calendar Operatives squashed every single uprising and kept the USM whole again. The Calendar Operatives also embodied the spirit of the USM and its achievements. Propaganda was made to celebrate them. Action figures were released in droves so children could dream of one day being able to be a Calendar Operative. Soldiers also looked to them for inspiration, and all of their exploits were officially romanticized by the USM to promote the image that they were all saintly soldiers and civilians. This was a sort of lie, though, especially evident when news broke out that Agent August defected to the Red Army. List of Calendar Operatives * Agent December - Detained * Agent November - Alive * Agent October - Alive * Agent September - Alive * Agent August - AWOL * Agent July - Alive * Agent June - Alive * Agent May - AWOL * Agent April - Detained * Agent March - Alive * Agent February - Dead * Agent January - Alive * Unit 076015-b - Alive Category:Events Category:Calendar Operatives Category:Factions Category:USM